Longtime Sound Artist Beck Dies

Barney Beck, a longtime radio sound effects artist, died 30 January 2007 at age 85. His credits include Bobby Benson's Adventures, a popular children's western that had two lives (as The H-Bar-O Ranch, 1932-1936, the odd name prompted by sponsor H-O oats; and, as Bobby Benson's Adventures---also known as Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders---1949-1955).

Beck often appeared at old-time radio gatherings in later years (and, often, with his wife, Joan, as a partner), re-creating numerous vintage sound effects.

Richard Wanamaker, Ivan Cury, and Billy Halop played Bobby Benson in the series, with future Miss Duffy (Duffy's Tavern) and Night Court bailiff Florence Halop as Polly Armstead, Al Hodge (The Green Hornet) as one of five to play Tex (originally Buck) Mason (the other five included country music legend Tex Ritter), and a younger Don Knotts as Windy Tales, the handyman whose "Wild Tales By Windy Hales" was a regular segment on the show.

The show inspired a musical comedy companion show, Songs of the B-Bar-B (named for the ranch whose name changed, presumably, in honour of a new sponsor, B & B sauce), which featured Cury (as Bobby), Knotts (as Windy), and Hodge and Ritter as two of four Tex Masons.